Robin Williams dead: Actor dies in apparent suicide

Robin Williams is dead. The Oscar-winning actor and comedian died in an apparent suicide at his California residence. He was 63.

Image credit: Eva Rinaldi via Wikimedia Commons

The multi-awarded actor was reportedly found unconscious in his home near Tiburon, north of San Francisco, at around 11:55 a.m. on Monday, August 11, 2014.

The Marin County Sheriff's Office told media it received an emergency call saying that Williams was unconscious and not breathing.

The coroner's division suspects the death was a suicide due to asphyxia, a condition of severely deficient supply of oxygen to the body that arises from abnormal breathing.

However, the cause of his death is under investigation. A postliminary toxicology test and forensic examination has been scheduled for Tuesday, August 12.

Williams' wife, graphic designer Susan Schneider, said in an official statement: "This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings. I am utterly heartbroken."

According to his publicist, Mara Buxbaum, the actor-comedian was "battling severe depression" recently. She would not confirm reports that Williams committed suicide.

The prized actor, who struggled with addiction in the past, checked himself in to a Minnesota rehabilitation center last July to help him maintain sobriety, a Reuters report published on Yahoo! Celebrity News stated.